Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Distance Higher Education

The purpose of this research is to study the economics approach of distance higher education based on cost-effectiveness analysis. Today, distance higher education needs to be cost-effective in order to remain competitive. Generally, the cost-effectiveness analysis is used in the context of higher education to account for the behavioral and emotional characteristics of the learners and provide a non-financial estimation of education components. Cost-effectiveness refers to achieving the highest output at the lowest cost. Thus, in this study the costeffectiveness analysis of Wagner and Jewett was used to examine the economics of distance higher education. The results showed that due to the use of multimedia, lack of space and time limitations, admission of a large number of students, easy and fast access to information, and use of SCORM model in producing content and instruction, distance higher education reduces education costs, while compensating for the lack of human resources in the teachinglearning process.